The Difference Between UX/UI

It is common to see people get confused between UX and UI or interpret both as one. The confusion, however, is understandable and more likely to appear if someone is new to the concept. Are they both different from each other? Yes. If that was the only query you had, your search ends here. But to understand its nuance, you would want to read this short yet comprehensive article. 

What is UI Design? 

User Interface(UI), in simple terms, is what you see and interact with when you use an application. UI design concerns itself with the elements the user(you) will see on your screen. The UI designer is responsible for making the application and its components appealing. They experiment with the texts, layouts, colors, graphical representation of icons and tabs, and every other small detail to make it as interactive and attractive as possible. 

Aesthetics becomes an essential subject while dealing with UI design. A UI designer will be accountable for making the application's interface aesthetically pleasing. You will be concerned with how big a button should look. What should be its border width, if it even should have borders? Will the tabs have sharp corners or round corners? Should there be drop shadows? If yes, what should be the intensity? These questions need to be addressed without mistakes to make the User Interface visually stimulating. 

Any sort of visual elements that you see and interact with in an application falls under UI design. 

What is UX Design? 

User experience(UX) is concerned with the feel and usability of the application. To understand it better, think about your phone for a moment. Suppose you wanted to get into settings to change your language settings. And for that, you had to do complicated tasks. That would account for a bad user experience. Instead, what you do now is go into the setting and perform a small search.

The UX designers are concerned with the entire feel of the process from start to end of an operation. As a UX designer, you must ensure that the navigation between tabs feels smooth and responsive. It is upon you to make sure that the user feels connected with the elements that the UI designer has created. Sometimes you will need to work with a UI designer to find a better solution if something seems unnecessary and needs redesigning. 

UX design requires market research and response of the target audience towards a similar or pre-existing product. A UX designer needs to ask why the user will use this product, what should be the functionality features, and how you can incorporate everything seamlessly and efficiently. 

UX vs. UI: What's the Difference 

The difference between UX and UI is pretty straightforward. UI is concerned with the looks of an application, while UX is concerned with the functionality.

Suppose you had to perform multiple tasks with unnecessary steps to book a hotel. You will want to switch to a better application where every step is logical, not redundant. It wouldn't matter if the application looked pretty. This would account for a perfect example of good UI but bad UX(form over function). 

Similarly, if an application was loaded with features with logical steps but wasn't appealing. There is a high possibility that you would refrain from using that application. This means good UX but lousy UI design. 

UX and UI need to work harmoniously to make any application appealing and usable.